Spindles are common mechanical components that rotate or support rotating components. For example, FIG. 1 is an exploded pictorial view of a conventional spindle assembly 20 that is part of a cotton picking machine. The spindle assembly 20 includes a spindle 22 having a gear 24 at one end. The gear 24 defines a shoulder 26 that encircles and extends perpendicularly from a journal 28 of the spindle 22. The spindle 22 further includes a tapered end 30 that fits through a bearing assembly 32 so that the journal 28 is journaled within the bearing assembly. The bearing assembly 32 includes a nut portion 34, an upper portion 36 extending upward from the nut portion, and a lower portion 40 extending downward from the nut portion. The upper portion 36 includes a beveled surface 38 and the lower portion 40 has a threaded exterior surface. An axial passage 42 is defined through the bearing assembly 32 and is open at the upper and lower ends of the bearing assembly. An annular bushing 44 is within the passage 42 and protrudes slightly from the lower end of the passage 42. Another annular bushing is within the passage 42 proximate to the upper end of the bearing assembly 32. The opening to the passage 42 at the upper end of the bearing assembly 32 is enlarged and can be characterized as a countersink 46. The countersink 46 is concealed from view in FIG. 1; therefore, it is depicted by broken-lines. A collar 48, which holds the spindle 22 to the bearing assembly 32, includes an upper beveled surface 50 and a lower cylindrical portion 52 that fits into the countersink 46 when the spindle assembly 20 is assembled. The spindle assembly 20 is shown fully assembled in FIGS. 2 and 8.
When the spindle assembly 20 is assembled, it can be attached to a machine, such as a cotton picking machine, by threading the lower portion 40 of the bearing assembly 32 into a threaded port. The gear 24 meshes with a drive gear, and a spool can be fit over the tapered end 30 of the spindle 22. Rotation of the spindle 22 rotates the spool to wind cotton onto the spool. Like many moving mechanical parts, spindle assemblies 20 become worn or broken with use and must be disassembled and reassembled for maintenance purposes.
Some conventional tools and methods for assembling and disassembling spindle assemblies 20 leave much to be desired. A conventional arrangement for disassembling a spindle assembly 20 is depicted in FIG. 2. The spindle assembly 20 depicted in FIG. 2 is fully assembled and lower surfaces of the nut portion 34 of the bearing assembly 32 are resting upon upper surfaces of a pair of blocks 54. Further, a ram 56 of a conventional hydraulic or screw-type press is positioned above the tapered end 30 of the spindle 22. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that forcing the ram 56 downward against the tip of the tapered end 30 forces the spindle 22 to move downward relative to the bearing assembly 32 and the collar 48. When the collar 48 encircles the tapered end 30 of the spindle 22, the spindle is no longer held to the bearing assembly 32 by the collar.
While the above-described conventional method of disassembling a spindle assembly 20 can be effective, it has some drawbacks. For example, presses of the type that include overhead rams 56 are relatively expensive and bulky items. Also, if the spindle assembly 20 is not axially aligned with the ram 56, it is possible for the spindle assembly 20 to pivot about a horizontal axis while the ram is forced downward against the tapered end 30 of the spindle 22. This can hamper disassembly efforts or damage the spindle assembly 20, and may cause the spindle assembly, portions of the spindle assembly, or the blocks 54 to be unexpectedly propelled in a manner that can cause injury to the person operating the ram 56.
A conventional arrangement for assembling the conventional spindle assembly 20 is depicted in FIG. 3. To achieve the arrangement depicted in FIG. 3, the spindle assembly 20 is partially assembled by passing the tapered end 30 of the spindle 22 through the bearing assembly 32, and then placing the collar 48 over the tapered end 30 of the spindle 22. Then, the tapered end 30 of the spindle assembly 22 is inserted into a pipe 58 so that the configuration depicted in FIG. 3 is achieved. The pipe 58 is depicted in side cross-sectional form in FIG. 3. As depicted in FIG. 3, the cylindrical portion 52 (FIG. 1) of the collar 48 is within the countersink 46 (FIG. 1) of the bearing assembly 32, and the gear 24 is distant from the bushing 44. The pipe 58 is completely cylindrical and is selected so that a portion of the beveled surface 50 of the collar 48 abuts the upper end of the pipe 58, and no other portions of the spindle assembly 20 contact the pipe 58 during the assembly of the spindle assembly.
With the spindle assembly 20 and the pipe 58 arranged as depicted in FIG. 3, those skilled in the art will appreciate that forcing the ram 56 downward against the gear 24 forces the spindle 22 through the bearing assembly 32 and the collar 48 until the shoulder 26 abuts the exposed rim of the bushing 44. This has the effect of pressing the collar 48 onto the spindle 22 so that the spindle assembly 20 becomes assembled. The person operating the ram 56 must be careful to properly assembly the spindle assembly. The spindle assembly 20 is properly assembled when the collar 48 and the shoulder 26 abut the opposite ends of the bearing assembly 32 to prevent axial movement of the spindle 22 relative to the bearing assembly 32, and the spindle 22 can easily rotate about its elongate axis within and relative to the bearing assembly 32.
While the above-described conventional method for assembling a spindle assembly 20 can be effective, it also has some drawbacks. For example, it is common for the collar 48 to be pressed too far onto the spindle 22 so that there is too much friction between the opposite ends of the bearing assembly 32 and the collar 48 and the shoulder 26, respectively. When this friction is too great, rotation of the spindle 22 about its elongate axis relative to the bearing assembly is restricted. Also, if the ram 56 is lowered too far, the spindle assembly 20 can be damaged. Further, if the spindle assembly 20 or pipe 58 are not axially aligned with the ram 56, it is possible for the spindle assembly 20 or pipe 58 to pivot about a horizontal axis while the ram is forced downward. This can hamper assembly efforts or may damage the spindle assembly 20, and may cause the spindle assembly, portions of the spindle assembly, or the pipe 58 to be unexpectedly propelled in a manner that can cause injury to the person operating the ram 56.
A further drawback to both the above-discussed conventional methods is that rams 56 are typically located in machine shops, or the like, that are remote from the locations, such as farming fields, where the spindles assemblies 20 are used. It is very inconvenient to have to go to a machine shop every time maintenance needs to be performed on a spindle assembly 20.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved tool for assembling and disassembling spindle assemblies.